How To Make a Cake Stand

Project: How To Make a Wood PedestalName: HollieTime: 3 days (mostly drying paint)Cost: 20$ CAD

Looking for a pretty, inexpensive cake stand for a wedding or a birthday party? Check out these stands that Hollie made herself with supplies from a basic hardware store. Read on to see how she made the stands, along with a photo of her own wedding cake!

TOOLS:Wood finial (deck section) Short wood leg (furniture part section)MDF disc (all from Home Depot) One wood screw, long ones at least double the thickness of the disc Wood glue Sandpaper Drill Rulers and other things to help measure Primer Black lacquer spray paint Cardboard box (to help with spray painting)

STEPS: 1) Go to hardware store and get all of the stuff. I found most of the things I needed in the area where they sell materials for decks and stairway banisters. Don’t get the pressure treated lumber (it has a green colour to it) as it is treated with nasty chemicals.

2) Many of the pieces I found were very rough, especially the ones meant for decks, so they had to be sanded smooth.

3) Prime all of your pieces. You may want to follow priming by a sanding and another priming.

4) Now you will assemble before the final coat of paint. Most pieces have holes already drilled in the center. The disc I found did not. To find the center mark a straight line from the widest part across the disc, and then another intersecting. This should be the center. Double check! Then drill a hole smaller than the width of your wood screw. You also want to make an indentation so that your screw does not stick out. You can either carve it out or use a larger drill bit for this. The base of the leg has a bolt in it already. I drilled a hole slightly smaller into the finial and screwed the bolt in.

5) Glue the pieces before you drill your wood screw in. Then drill! (I kept the top disc separate because I had to transport it across the country, it is not necessary).

6) The last thing needed is to spray-paint the pedestal. I did this in multiple stages outside, and I used a cardboard box to prevent painting my whole yard black. You will need several light coats to create an even finish. All done!

* Please note, if you are going to serve food on the pedestal have something between the food and the paint. I used tinfoil and cardboard for my cake. A plate also looks good on it.

RESOURCES: I made these intentionally for my wedding, now they are used at parties at home Everything can be found at Home Depot.

Do it Now! The February Jumpstart Contest 2009 - The Kitchn

Faith is executive editor of The Kitchn and author of three cookbooks, including the James Beard Award-winning The Kitchn Cookbook, coauthored with Sara Kate Gillingham, as well as Bakeless Sweets. She lives in Columbus, Ohio with her husband Mike.